The Mets announced on Thursday that they have relieved manager Mickey Callaway of his duties.

Callaway was hired by the Mets before the 2018 season after serving as the pitching coach for the Cleveland Indians from 2013 through 2017.

The Mets improved their record each of the two years Callaway managed the team. They went from 70-92 in 2017 - the year before Callaway's arrival - to 77-85 in 2018 and 86-76 in 2019.

But the Mets had postseason aspirations in 2019, and those aspirations all but evaporated after a poor first half of the season. The Mets were 40-50 at the all-star break, and although the team won 13 of 14 games in late July and early August to get back into the race, they ultimately finished three games out of a playoff spot. They finished the second half with a 46-26 record.

Callaway got off to a torrid start as Mets manager. The team began the 2018 season 11-1, the best start in team history. But they were back at the .500 mark by the end of May, and a 5-21 June left them 16 games under .500 by June 30. Ultimately, the team finished eight games under .500 in Callaway's first year at the helm.

Callaway was hired by the Mets by the team's previous general manager, Sandy Alderson. New general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, who inherited Callaway when he took over before last season, will now get the chance to hire a new Mets manager for 2020.